But Pallotta says they would just be wasting their time chasing the 23-year-old.

"Destro is absolutely not for sale," he said at the Champions League group stage draw, where Roma were pulled out in a group with Manchester City, Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow.

"He never has been and he is staying where he is, 100% certain."

Failure to sign Destro should not, however, prevent Chelsea from offloading Torres, whose move to the Italian capital moved a step closer following a meeting of his agent and Milan's general manager Adriano Galliani on Thursday.

The two clubs just need to reach an agreement with Milan keen on a loan move with Chelsea still contributing towards the player's wages. Torres' agent Margarita Garay told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he is "still positive" after the meeting.